FedEx Express opened a new international express and cargo center in Shanghai on Monday to provide greater access to its global network for customers in eastern China, particularly those shipping goods to the United States and Europe.

The 134,000-square-meter FedEx Shanghai International Express and Cargo Hub, about eight times the size of its previous facility, is the largest of its kind at the Shanghai Pudong International Airport.

Currently, the US company has 66 weekly flights in and out of the cargo hub. Equipped with a fully automated sorting system, the new facility is able to process 36,000 packages and documents perhour.

"The Asia-Pacific region remains the growth driver of the world. This new hub adds yet another major facility to our already comprehensive regional and global network, giving our customers here reliable access to international markets," said David L. Cunningham, president and CEO of FedEx Express.

According to the CEO, the facility is critically important as the Yangtze River Delta is a huge importer and exporter, and a major hub for this part of China.

"The facility will provide the ability to add additional flights into and out of China, and is critically important with its trans-shipment capabilities. We can connect traffic from other markets into and around China, using this facility and its infrastructure," said Cunningham.

The two airports in Shanghai reported cargoand mail throughput of 4.24 million tons in 2017.

The city is the third aviation hub in the world after Hong Kong and Memphis, Tennessee, boasting a cargo and mail throughput above 4 million tons, according to the Shanghai Airport Authority.